Beating addiction

About a month ago, I quit my one big vice: Diet Coke. So far, I haven't looked back.

My Diet Coke habit started out innocently enough. I would usually just order it at restaurants as a special treat. We didn't keep it in the house very much when I was growing up. When we did, I always drank it in moderation.

All that changed when I got to college. The freedom of being able to drink as much as I wanted without anyone watching my intake was too much for me, and my meal plan card allowed me free access to as much as I wanted. I started drinking it with dinner regularly; then I started craving it with my lunch as well. Soon I started consuming it to keep me focused when I studied late at night. It started getting serious when I would crave it with breakfast. Something about oatmeal and Diet Coke says "you have a problem."

One day, for a lot of reasons that are surprisingly personal, I decided to quit. So I did, cold turkey. I did cheat once, but I felt so guilty that it just wasn't worth it. So now it has been almost one month with no Diet Coke (or any diet soda) and I feel really proud of myself.

My next venture is going meat free. Again, for a lot of reasons. I have been a vegetarian on and off throughout my life, and I feel like I can do it, so why not?